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question about scores...


Karovd

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Written scores thats is...

This may be something that EVERYONE but me knows but, Can anyone tell me the difference between a Full Score and a Miniature Score? I was looking to buy a copy of Carmina Burana, and there were two versions, a Full Score for $150, and a Miniature score for $35. Does miniature scores have less instrumentation? or are they just printed smaller, or...?

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OK - I can only answer this from a Brass Band point of view - I have never conducted from an Orchestra Miniature (or "Short") score....one hopes that they would be similar....

An orchestral (or any other kind) score has every single part (with one or two exeptions) written on the page.....i.e. for a full Brass Band Score you're on about 28 lines of music....

....a "Miniature", or "condensed", or "Short" score is abbreviated in to 2 or 3 lines of music, i.e. everything either cramped up or noted on the score pointing out the important bits.....SO - a full BRASS BAND score for a 5-minute pice might be 10 or 12, maybe 15 pages....a short score more like 4 pages.....

There are obvious benefits to a conductor, but also obvious disadvantages....

:D

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Ah, so a miniature score isn't completely ideal if you want to study a piece in detail, thanks for the info:)

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really? I thought at first that might be the case, however, then I don't understand the huge price difference - unless the $150 version also comes with parts, but then, wouldn't that make it fairly cheap?

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When something is in short score - the parts are condensed into one stave. For example - say you have 4 horn parts - they might be condensed down to two (or maybe one) staves, with the parts visibly seperated with the tails sticking up for the top part , and downwards for the secondary part. Horns are usually shortened to Horns 1+3 , and , Horns 2+4, for example... Another example might be placing Violins 1 and 2 onto a single stave.. At least, that's what short score is. I have no idea about the term "Miniature" ... I've never purchased any scores which I really should do sometime - but they're so expensive!! :(

btw , does anyone know anywhere where I can buy some John Williams scores, exactly as he wrote them (I.e. not buggered about with to suit a particular type of orchestra/some crappy arrangement?)

Toodles! :D

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Music score editions come in three typical flavors:

  • Full score with parts: This includes individual parts for each instrument. Each part can be given to the corresponding instrumentist for he to perform his part.
  • Conductor score: This one shows all instruments simultaneously, so that a conductor can see what is happening at a given measure with the entire orchestra. It is also the score used to conduct, so it should be clearly legible, hence it has a pretty big paper size.
  • Miniature/study score: It is a mini-conductor score, edited in a more manageable paper size. Some times, with some editions, in tutti sections, you will need a magnifying glass!
      Seems (because of the price) that your Full Score is a Conductor Score (Scores with Parts can cost 300-400$, and Carmina Burana is a big piece!). If you don't mind about reading Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi and others very near of the paper, you can buy the miniature score. They are usually cheap and useful for studying purposes.
      Saludos from Spain! Mandel
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